LAYTON —Of the state’s four largest public universities, Weber State University provides the best value-based on tuition and fees.

Material provided by WSU for the 2013-14 year listed tuition and fees, per semester, at $2,495, or $4,990 a year.

That compared with $5,086 per year at Utah Valley University, $6,184 at Utah State University and $6,673 at the University of Utah.

Those figures are based on a new freshman enrollment, taking at least 13 credit hours, WSU said.

A way Weber uses to help make getting an education more affordable is through its “Dream Weber” program.

That combines federal and state financial aid as well as funds given to the university by generous donors. It provides free tuition and general student fees for up to eight semesters, to students whose annual household income is $40,000 or less.

A Weber Concurrent Edge Scholarship is offered in conjunction with the school’s concurrent enrollment program where students earn college credit while in high school.

Those students who have completed at least 12 WSU concurrent enrollment credit hours while in high school get a $1,500 tuition waiver for their first two semesters at WSU.

High school students enrolled in WSU’s concurrent enrollment courses pay $5 per credit.

According to information from the university, Affordable College Online ranked WSU 17th nationally on its list of low cost colleges with graduates who earn high starting salaries.

The web site said WSU graduates earn an average of $764,000 more than non-degree holders over a 30-year period.

Students wanting to take advantage of public transportation can buy a UTA ED Pass for $20. That saves them about $1,000 per year when compared to a monthly UTA pass.